Solved my own mystery of the tiny light

Prius has these?? Well mine and every Prius I have seen has them (map lights).

 

Yes--the US Prius has 2 map lights.

 

Ice weasel seems to love his, but to me this little light is the tackiest piece of engineering in the vehicle. I wouldn't feel so strongly about it if it could be turned off.

As it is, it's a poor substitute for Toyota spending the money to light the shifter. I think the interior cabin should be pitch dark if the driver prefers.

 

LIGHT THEM SHIFTERS UP !

moovement for lighten shifters all over the universe!

the save the feature day is here!

i need my led!



the first time i drove my prius cab at night (a month after i got it) i buged out like a kid.the prius is like the gift that keeps on giving hehehe


LIGHT THEM SHIFTERS UP !

BROUGHT TO YOU BY save the led light moovement!

 

Are you ok? You haven't bumped your head recently?

 

I agree. Ever since the first console mounted automatic shifter, the gear indicator has been backlit rather than floodlit. While it might look cool to some (I don't particularly mind it), it is an obvious cost-cutting maneuver by Toyota. Although I will say it's a proper application of an LED which throws a more concentrated beam than a traditional incandescent bulb. A traditional bulb likely wouldn't have worked as well and would burn out sooner. It's worth noting that the likely much less used map lights still use the incandescent bulbs.

The only other application of an automotive floodlit instrument panel I can immediately think of was the old Chrysler E-body ponycars (Barracuda/Challenger). The gauges were all floodlit, but then, the light source was also much closer to the panel. And the shift indicator for the automatic was still backlit.

As to the shifter placement itself, while I also agree that it's much handier to have it on the console, frankly, I would prefer the old placement on the dash for practical reasons, primarily to just get rid of the useless, plastic 'flying console'.

 

I hate the shifter light. My HHR SS has one and I hate that as well. It's useless. If I want a light I'll turn one on.

 

as a mater of fact i did today hahahaaaa

 

I'm with the "light is cool" crowd on this topic.

The good news is that the light does have an off switch -- just turn the headlights off. That'll guarantee pitch black in the cabin. :spy:

 

Face it Toyota saved money in a lot of places in this car...but still brought in features (Autodown all windows/Touch Tracer/Underfloor cover and storage + many others) that most of us appreciate. I for one am glad to have a car with one of the most expensive drivetrains for around 24K. IMO flood illumination of the stick is a small place to compromise and let's face it there are a lot of compromises.

 

I thought I knew my Prius pretty well by now, but never noticed the light coming down from the console! This is the first car I've had with an overhead console so all my previous cars had backlighted shifters. Had to go out in the garage and check it out! I think it's great! Of course I think the whole car is great! :cheer2:

 

save the stick light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!